MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – APRIL 10: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks reacts to a three point shot … More
The Milwaukee Bucks tipped off their offseason with a slam dunk, re-signing fan-favorite Bobby Portis to a team-friendly deal reportedly worth $44 million over three years.
Portis held a $13.7 million player option for the 2025-26 season, with a June 29 deadline to make a decision.
Rather than ride that number into next year, he declined the option and worked with Milwaukee to hammer out a long-term agreement—one that could keep him in the Cream City through the 2027-28 season.
The contract reportedly includes a player option in the third year and averages $14.7 million per season—slightly above the non-taxpayer midlevel exception. For the Bucks, it’s a win, as they retain a core contributor without busting open the piggy bank.
This move gives Milwaukee some insurance heading into a summer of potential frontcourt shakeups.
Brook Lopez is an unrestricted free agent, and there’s no clear signal yet whether he’ll return. Losing both Lopez and Portis would’ve left a Grand Canyon-sized hole in the middle. Re-signing Portis ahead of free agency ensures the Bucks aren’t caught flat-footed.
Portis is more than just a key rotational piece—he’s the heart and soul of the bench unit and a cult hero among the Bucks faithful. Dubbed the “Mayor of Milwaukee,” he’s known for his high-energy plays, hustle rebounds, and his signature mean mug that gets the Fiserv Forum crowd chanting his name.
Since signing with the Bucks in 2020, after bouncing around three teams in two years, Portis has found a home. This upcoming season will mark his sixth straight in Milwaukee.
Last year, he averaged 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds across 49 games (he served a 25-game suspension late in the year). He also continued his strong stretch of outside shooting, hitting over 36 percent from behind the arc for the fifth consecutive season.
Portis’s deal gives Milwaukee solid value at a manageable price—especially for a team needing to navigate the NBA’s increasingly rigid salary cap landscape. His $14.7 million salary sits just above the $14.1 million midlevel exception, allowing the Bucks to retain financial flexibility under the first tax apron.
That’s crucial as they look to improve their roster this summer.
Milwaukee will have a few tools in its belt: the full midlevel exception, the $5.1 million biannual exception, veteran minimum contracts, and a $7.2 million trade exception. Using any of those will trigger the hard cap at the first apron—but now, thanks to Portis’s deal, they’ve got the space to make it all work.
With Damian Lillard expected to miss most of the season recovering from a torn Achilles, the Bucks must retool quickly. The futures of Lopez, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. are all in question, and Milwaukee still has other roster gaps to fill.
Still, bringing back Portis on a smart deal is a strong first move—one that shows the Bucks are serious about staying in the hunt without breaking the bank.
